Sometimes when we spend a lot of time in a comfortable conservative Christian bubble, we forget how the ideas and values of the world can be quite different. This is also true of Christians who have not matured much and have rather different values. They need a worldview shift. Most of the guys in rehab I talk to will say things that remind me to be thankful to be surrounded by strong Christians. The most common issues I've noticed involve women. Most of them would have no problem living with their girlfriend and not see it as wrong. I was talking to a guy last week who professes trust in Christ and we started talking about his girlfriend. I asked him if she shared his same beliefs and he said no. It didn't seem important to him that he marry someone who was a Christian. This puzzled me. I asked him about how he would raise his kids, and he said he would raise them Catholic because he was raised Catholic. I was stunned. He didn't seem to see the difference. He is in need of a worldview shift, as am I sometimes. We all need to line up our thinking with God's, based on His Word. And we are called to point others to thinking God's way.
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"Our job is just to sow the seed and use Scripture verses, because the Bible says that the word of God doesn't return void." At first, this sounds like a good statement. In fact, I have heard many people say things like this and apply the verse from Isaiah this way. This is a snippet of a conversation I had with a man at the drug rehab center. I will call him P. I was actually quite excited to talk to P and hear how God was working in his life, as he described parts of it in blunt detail. He heard that I was training to be a missionary and asked how he could do the same thing. This was all very encouraging to hear, because even if he had too many obstacles to keep him from going overseas, he may still benefit greatly from attending a Bible school or something. He seemed to have a decent knowledge of the Bible compared to a lot of guys I talk to. But I found that his condition illustrates an important point about my ministry, something that may also benefit anyone who reads this blog and desires to communicate the gospel.
Earlier that day, before my encouraging conversation with P, I met another man: C. C was asking me about the missionary training and about what a missionary is. When I asked about his reading and understanding of the Bible, he told me of his confusion. He wanted to read it more, but didn't understand it when he did. Then he told me about a voluntary meeting he was attending in the mornings. He said that one day, the leader of the group, "...prayed with me and told me I was saved or something." He didn't understand what that meant. I gave him "By This Name", which is intended to help people understand the Bible, even if they had little or no previous knowledge of it. Then he had to go attend a meeting. This was when P showed up. He overheard me talking with someone and explaining what New Tribes was. Before that, he just assumed I was one of the clients. He was obviously excited about the Lord. He told me how he had, "...already led 2 brothers to the Lord." He was the one who prayed with C for salvation. This was when I realized one of my objectives in ministry there. Not only do I need to talk to the unsaved about their understanding of God and His Word, but I also need to help those who are believers clearly communicate the truth to their peers. They have much more time and opportunity to impact the men around them. So does the word of God return void? Obviously, God says it doesn't. But what does that mean? Are we just supposed to haphazardly "scatter seed" by throwing verses at people, even though they don't understand them? The verses may be quite appropriate. However, people need to understand the gospel before they can place their trust in Christ for salvation. I think that 'God's word doesn't return void' should be read in context. It seems to be referring to the promises of God and His power, that He accomplishes what He says He will, or He has the power to speak the universe into existence. Let us all consider how we may clearly communicate God's truth. Have you ever thought about the confusion of languages at the tower of Babel...and the fact that God did a very good job? The thought keeps reoccurring as I see more examples of languages and the way each one plays by its own rules. As we study English grammar, we know about rules, although there are many exceptions to them. In learning a new language where there is no Rosetta Stone, our job is to discover the rules. Sometimes it may seem like trying to play a brand new sport without knowing the rules and none of the players can tell you what they are, even though they follow them perfectly. I was actually once forced to play a card game quite like this, and it was difficult. I am amazed by the diversity of ways that sounds and even tones are used to compose words and that they have meaning. The important thing to keep in mind is that God originally created languages and He is the one who can help us understand them. There is nowhere else to turn. God is the one who sent us into all the world and He will enable us to do His work.
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AuthorWe are normal people who believe that God would have us serve Him in Brazil. We are saddened by the existence of people who do not have access to the gospel due to their location and language. We want to live among such a people group and plant a church among them, shepherding the believers as they grow to maturity. Archives
November 2019
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